Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-24

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The chart below gives information about how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

1968 and 2018: average weekly spending by families

Student answer (Band 5.0)

The information we have we are gonna talk about how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018.We summerise the some main features, and make a comparisons where relevants

In 1968, The highest spending of money is food people they used to buy the food most with their 35 percent of their weekly income and lowest are fuel and power with more then 5 percent and less then 10 percent of weekly income. and the rest of their income theyn use in buying household goods,housing and etc.

In 2018,The highest spending of money is Lesiure more the 20 percent of their weekly income. Second highest spending of money is Housing less the 20 percent of their weekly income and lowest are fuel and power and personal goods with less then 5 percent.and the rest of their income theyn use in buying household goods,housing and etc.

Overall,In 1968 most of the people use their average income in food and on the other side In 2018 they use their money on leisure.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main contrast accurately: food was the largest category in 1968, while leisure was largest in 2018. You also note that housing was among the higher categories in 2018. However, the report only partially selects and compares the chart’s key information. For example, it does not give the exact housing figure (19%) or compare the substantial fall in food spending from 35% to 17%; several other categories are grouped vaguely as “the rest.” The claim that fuel and power and personal goods were both below 5% in 2018 is broadly consistent with the chart, but the 1968 description of the lowest category is imprecise. Develop the overview and support it with clearer, paired figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with separate paragraphs for 1968 and 2018 and a final overview. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression within the paragraphs is limited: each mainly lists the highest and lowest categories before ending with the repeated, vague phrase “the rest of their income.” The opening also repeats the task wording rather than introducing a clear summary, and the overview comes only at the end. Linking is basic, with repeated use of “and” and “In 2018.” Organise the report around the main changes—for example, contrasting food and leisure, then grouping categories that rose, fell or stayed similar—and use concise transitions to make those comparisons explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “weekly income,” “highest spending,” and category names such as “fuel and power” and “household goods.” This is enough to communicate the broad subject, but the range is limited and several expressions are repetitive or imprecise. “The highest spending of money” is repeated instead of using more natural reporting language such as “accounted for the largest share.” “The rest of their income” does not clearly describe the remaining chart categories. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “summerise,” “Lesiure,” and “relevants,” which reduce accuracy. Build a small set of precise comparison phrases and check spelling, especially for key category labels.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to describe both years and includes some simple comparisons, but sentence structures are mostly basic and several are incomplete or difficult to follow. For instance, “the lowest are fuel and power with more then 5 percent and less then 10 percent” lacks a clear grammatical connection between the category and its figure. There are repeated problems with verb forms and agreement in “people they used to buy” and “they use,” as well as sentence boundaries and capitalisation, such as “2018.We” and “Overall,In.” The final overview is more understandable, but it still relies on simple structures. Practise complete subject–verb sentences and use controlled comparative forms, such as “Food fell from 35% to 17%.”

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